Retail Data Talents Rooted Program-BI Data Visualization Training

        In recent years, AI and Big Data have taken the lead. In order to meet the wave of digital transformation, there are numerous courses. It is true that technology is important, but if "data thinking" can’t take root, the corporation will eventually be washed ashore by the wave of transformation. Only by making good use of visual data analysis tools and lowering the data analysis threshold, can we accelerate the deep ploughing of data culture in enterprises.

In order to implement the training of data talents, Tableau Seed Training Course has been planned by the Group's Comprehensive Efficiency and Retail Planning Headquarters since last year. Through six months of solid courses and practices, we have worked closely with affiliated retail enterprises to promote data thinking for the Group.

Data Dominance and Culture to be Built
For today's consumers, there are stores everywhere. Driven by convenience and uniqueness, physical stores are facing a considerable impact. Therefore, the decisive point is data, through which consumers' consumption patterns, preferences and apperances can be grasped, their needs can be met, and the products they want can be further sold. In other words, it is the trend of the times to build a customer-centered data management platform from online to offline.

With the growing trend of digital transformation, enterprises are actively building Big Data databases, but the stricter individual information laws in various countries and the rising awareness of consumer protection of individual information have undoubtedly greatly increased the time and cost of data collection and organizing. Most enterprises invest a lot of manpower and financial resources on the data path which they are still learning. They expect to succeed in digital transformation through accurate BI decision analysis and AI model. However, It will be futile in the end if there is only powerful system tools without paying attention to cultivating the data thinking. Only by deep ploughing of the data thinking and culture in enterprises, can the value of data be truly maximized.
BI needs to go first to make AI feasible. Visual tools make BI more viable
Business Intelligence (BI) has become the outpost for most companies to promote data transformation when the industry has no clear direction to build ambitious AI goals.

BI is presented by Visual Analysis Software. In addition to transforming and analyzing existing data, it can provide convincing conclusions, help enterprises make data decisions quickly, improve business processes, and explore new business opportunities. Because of the features of free of writing codes and operability of SQL, humanized and visual presentation of the charts, it not only reduces the threshold of data analysis, which enables non-professionals can handle quickly. At the same time, "data culture" such as data assets, data value, data decision-making and so on are gradually integrated into the corporate and organizational culture. Forbes selected BI Tool Leadership Brand Tableau in its earlier report as the first three required job skills, and estimated that the skill needs could grow by 1581% annually.

Since 2017, the group's comprehensive effect and retail planning headquarters has started to set up a retail data management platform. In mid-2017, eMP 1.0 was launched to make performance management visualization and platformization, and eMP 2.0 was launched in May this year. Meanwhile, the training of data talents was conducted synchronously. At present, the retail data platform is based on Tableau as a data visualization tool, through the multi-functional visualization dashboard, data analysis and management are conducted. In addition, many attempts have been made in practice and talent cultivation to help Far Eastern Group move towards a sound and integrated digital transformation.

Digital Transformation Begins with Talent Training
In order to make Far Eastern Group move towards sustainable digitalization, the Retail Data Talents Training Program is planned by the Group's Comprehensive Efficiency and Retail Planning Headquarters. One or two elite talents from each retail affiliated enterprise are sent to participate in the six-month Tableau Seed Training Program, during which, besides intensive basic learning, they are also required to hand in assignments, and weekly telephone meetings are scheduled, tutorial guidance is provided by teachers at headquarters to stabilize strength, and professional lecturers from Hong Kong of Tableau are regularly invited to Taiwan to give advices. At the same time, a trainee's publication conference will be held, and a tour to affiliated enterprises will be arranged from the end of April, which aims to enhance data management and logical thinking through the training program. In the after-class questionnaire, the participants are very satisfied with the content of the course. In the future, the Group Comprehensive Efficiency and Retail Planning Headquarters will continue to arrange relevant data training courses to accelerate the implementation of the group's strategy of training data talents.

With the rapid development of science and technology, tools and software may iterate quickly, but the "data culture" and "logical thinking" brought by them can be deeply rooted in people's hearts. We hope that the seeds of data training can be sown to far places, and they will be deeply rooted in the foundation stone of Far Eastern Group's digitization and widely inherited.